Chess governance still dominated by Russia despite war

"It is a scandal that they are trying to flee to Asia to avoid the sanctions that the European Chess Union has rightly imposed on the Russian Chess Federation," Malcolm Pein said while taking part in a panel discussion hosted by the Berlin Chess Federation in late February. 

Pein was referring to the Russian Chess Federation (RCF), which is to leave the European Chess Union (ECU) to join the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) on May 1. This means that Russian chess players will in future be allowed to compete in tournaments organized by the ACF.

Chess a reflection of geopolitics

On that international panel in Berlin, Pein, an international master and the English Chess Federation's (ECF) delegate to the world governing body, FIDE, pointed out that the world of chess has always reflected geopolitics. FIDE, he said, is run by a very small number of people who aren't necessarily neutral actors.

Peter Heine Nielsen agrees. The grandmaster and coach of world chess champion Magnus Carlsen ran for vice president of FIDE last year. Not because he wanted to be in that office at all costs, but because he thought there needed to be change. 

"It's not a job I would particularly like," Nielsen said. "I'd much rather be doing what I'm doing now. But I think it shows how wrong I think the chess world is right now." 

Nielsen knew, however, that his chances would be slim.

Money talks

Pein estimates the cost of launching such a campaign at about €2 million ($2.13 million). This is not a problem for Russian candidates, as there is seldom a shortage of sponsors. Even if that weren't the case, the Russian state would certainly be prepared to step in. 

The ECF delegate experienced this firsthand in his own bid for the FIDE vice presidency in 2018, when he was on the ticket of presidential candidate Georgios Makropoulos. Pein said they didn't stand a chance against Arkady Dvorkovich, a former Russian presidential assistant. 

"He had a private jet and a huge staff," Pein said of Dvorkovich's appearance at the Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, during which the presidential election was held. The Russian threw a party for delegates at a nightclub the night before the election. 

"Nobody who was in Batumi will forget that famous party," Pein said. "I wasn't allowed in, but I heard there were 'mermaids' by the pool."  

Dvorkovich beat Makropoulos by a vote of 103 to 78 the next day, and last year he won reelection in a landslide, taking 157 of the votes while his Ukrainian challenger, Andrii Baryshpolets, got just 16.

Under his leadership, FIDE has bowed to pressure from Europe and parted ways with some major Russian donors since the war on Ukraine began. But Russia continues to exert influence on the international chess organization. FIDE's dealings with Iran are one example. 

Closing ranks with Iran 

Many Iranian athletes have refused to compete against Israelis; however, FIDE has not sanctioned the Iranian federation for this. Iran is an important ally of Russia, and not only as a supplier of drones in the country's war on Ukraine. 

Shohreh Bayat, an FIDE champion and international arbiter from Iran, fears for her safety in her home country ever since a dispute over her hijab at the 2020 Women's World Chess Championship. This is why she subsequently moved to England, where she has applied for asylum.

This hasn't stopped her from expressing her political views, which has landed her in hot water with FIDE. Early this year, Bayat wore a T-shirt with the inscription "Women Life Freedom," while working as an arbiter. Arkady Dvorkovich personally asked her to remove the T-shirt. Bayat returned clad in the national colors of Ukraine.  Even though she hadn't violated any regulations by doing so, Bayat said FIDE removed her from its arbiters' commission as a result.  

"In 2022, FIDE awarded me the prize for the best female arbiter in Europe," Bayat said. "So it's quite ironic that they removed me as a member of the Arbiters' Commission." 

Dvorkovich told Gthe erman newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Bayat was eligible to be appointed to assignments. But she hasn't had any since. 

She has declined an offer to work on the women's commission of Iran's chess federation for obvious reasons. She intends to continue to speak out about human rights, and she views FIDE's offers with skepticism.

"I'm not sure I would work for FIDE again, because I first have to make sure it's a decent organization," she said. 

 What's next for international chess? 

There is clearly plenty to criticize in international chess, but why is criticism so muted? 

"It depends on the quality of the chess officials in each country and what their priorities are," Pein said. In many federations, he added, most staff are volunteers. 

"If someone is doing a job and not getting paid, it's much harder to exercise any kind of control or criticism," he said.  

Sports and politics hard to separate 

Pein is calling for a clear separation between sports and politics. Broad international support would be needed to significantly improve conditions in international chess and to curb Russia's influence.

Away from chess, many hope that the ban on Russian athletes will remain for the 2024 Olympics in Paris – and for as long as the Kremlin continues to pursue its war on Ukraine. This is also the expressed view of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, which puts her in direct opposition to the position of International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. And Bach, as the example of the Asian Chess Federation shows, is not alone.

This article was adapted from German.